Okay, let’s be honest here, would you survive without your smartphone? I am not talking about the essential use of your phone, perhaps for business communication, I am talking about the need to check your twitter feed everytime you get a chance. I am talking about the inexplicable need to post photos of every meal on Instagram or check up on that ex on Facebook.

The use of smartphones has gone far beyond simple communication, gone are the days when your mobile is used for smses and phone calls. These devices have become integral and irreplaceable extensions of ourselves. People store their lives on their phones with all their photos, music, documentation, navigation, the list goes on and on.

This development has lead to a society that feels lost when without their phones. A society which is dependent on these devices. A society which is quite simply addicted to their smartphones.

With this in mind Jumia Travel, an online travel agency highlights 4 helpful ways to break a smartphone addiction:

1) Monitor Your Smartphone Use
Paying attention to the number of times per hour you check your phone can help to increase your awareness about any addiction you might have to your smartphone. If you’re aware of the problem, then it will be easier to address it and better help you begin to identify goals and possible solutions. To help you monitor your smartphone use, you can download an app that helps with this kind of tracking. An example of such an app would be ‘Checky’ and there many others like this you can use.

2) Consciously Limit Your Smartphone Use to Certain Times of the Day
There really is no other way to deal with a smartphone addiction than to make a conscious effort to address the problem. You should consciously limit your smartphone use to specific times of the day to give yourself time to do other things. This is very important. You can later reward yourself for meeting the goals you have set to limit your smartphone usage with suitable incentives. Remember, scientifically, it takes thirty days to break/make a habit, so you only have to keep it going for a while before it becomes easier for you, practically a thing of habit.

3) Turn Off or Customize Your Notifications
Notifications are one of the major causes of smartphone addictions, especially for ‘addictive’ apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and the like. Just make things easier for yourself and temper the temptation to check your phone all the time, by turning off the notifications for those ‘addictive’ apps because they only make you more prone to whipping out your phone and drowning in the vicious cycle of texts, mentions, comments, replies etc. that waste so much of the time you can use to do things that are more beneficial.

4) Try To Understand What Triggers Your Excessive Smartphone Use
Everything we do is for a reason, and if your smartphone use is excessive then there is a reason for it. Trying to uncover what this reason is and trying to understand it will make it easier for you to overcome your smartphone addiction. You might be addicted to your phone because you often get bored. Boredom has been known to trigger individuals to engage in addictive behaviours. To address the issue, you can then work on developing hobbies or engaging yourself in activities that will not only solve your problem of boredom but will be more beneficial to you.